New Year’s Eve revellers will be wowed by an incredible fireworks, music and lights spectacular showcasing Sydney’s unique character and culture to a global audience.
This year’s fireworks will cover the largest area yet with more launch sites on the western side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and another city centre rooftop.
9 tonnes of fireworks will be shot from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, 6 city centre buildings and 8 platforms on the harbour. Dazzling effects will be launched from 6 aerial pyrotechnic platforms hovering above the water.
Among the 25,000 individual pyrotechnics will be made-for-Sydney shots that shape into cockatoos, koalas, bottle brush, waratah and other native plants and animals. The Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons will become a canvas for projections showing off endemic species at the 9pm and midnight shows.
Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO extended an open invitation for everyone near and far to come and celebrate.
“Sydney’s New Year’s Eve is like nowhere else. This year will be another spectacular showcase of our brilliant harbour city to people enjoying the celebrations in person and the millions of people watching around the world,” the Lord Mayor said.
Fireworks will be launched along a 7km stretch of harbour starting at Cockatoo Island in the west to Point Piper in the east. The entertainment doesn’t end there.
More than 4 hours of innovative projections by creative force VANDAL will use the actual DNA of native Sydney plants, combined with the power of AI, to create a mesmerising series where plants use their own organic coding to reimagine their colours, form and movement across the iconic pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
“The 9pm Calling Country fireworks will remind us how Country unites us all and we’re proud to have some of Sydney’s most talented Aboriginal artists bringing their culture to life with 8 minutes of animated projection content, fireworks and a bespoke soundtrack,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Front row seats to the greatest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world are free at City of Sydney vantage points. It’s great to see so many agencies and councils across the foreshore offering free viewing access so we can continue to make our fireworks accessible to everyone.
“I want us all to begin the year on a high note, and I can’t wait to welcome 2026 alongside Sydneysiders and the visitors who’ve chosen to spend New Year’s Eve in our city.”
Singers, composers, creatives, technical experts, crowd management teams and directors worked collaboratively for 18 months to create the unique and safe spectacular.
Smoking Ceremony – 7:30pm
Three Tribal Warrior vessels named Tribal Warrior, Mari Nawi and Wirawi will sail around key points on the harbour starting the evening with a traditional smoking ceremony.
Calling Country – 8:45pm
Proud Wiradjuri/Gadigal woman Aunty Joan Bell will offer a heartfelt Welcome to Country on behalf of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. Her welcome will be projected onto the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and broadcast on the ABC.
Just before 9pm, artists Nooky and Jem Cassar-Daley will perform their new song Silver Lining live on the ABC broadcast for the first time.
At 9pm, the Calling Country show will bring themes of creation and connection to life with an 8-minute firework display and custom soundtrack created by Yuin/Thunggutti rapper Nooky and producer Tasker. Jerrinja /Djirringanj Yuin artist Aaron Kennedy and Bundjalung artist Shal have designed projections for the pylons that are a reminder that Country, from the stars to the sea, ties us together and that all living things are part of our story.
Sydney lights up for Beyond Blue – 10pm
Sydney Harbour Bridge and harbour will turn blue to honour the work and message of official charity partner, Beyond Blue. For 2026, Beyond Blue encourages people to consider small, regular and meaningful actions that will benefit their mental health and last well into the new year.
Beyond Blue representatives and volunteers will be at Pirrama Park, providing tips about setting and sticking to a daily mental health practice in 2026.
Midnight fireworks, soundtrack, lights and projections
At midnight, Sydney will kick start the global New Year’s Eve celebrations with a 12-minute fireworks, lighting and music extravaganza.
Across the biggest fireworks footprint ever, 9 tonnes of fireworks and 25,000 individual pyrotechnic shots will leave more than one million people spellbound throughout the show.
Made-for-Sydney aerial shells will shape shift and form native species like cockatoos, koalas, bottle brush and waratahs.
Midnight projections will turn the Harbour Bridge pylons into living sculptures as native plants bloom across our city’s skyline. These spectacular creations have been developed by combining plant DNA and Artificial Intelligence. Creative artists at VANDAL inputted genetic sequences from native plants into the AI program to come up with original plant growth shaped by the species’ very own DNA.
Best known for his time in band Jagwar Ma, Jono Ma has captured the energy and euphoria of the biggest party of the year in an epic soundtrack to complement the midnight fireworks display.
Lighting the way to 2026 will be more than 5,000 moving spotlight beams and LED effects in sync with the soundtrack and fireworks, providing more depth, colour and vibrancy to the show.
A little planning goes a long way
The key to an unforgettable night is to plan it. Head to sydneynewyearseve.com for information about vantage points, accessible locations, transport, programming and tips to make the most of the night.
The ABC will broadcast the event LIVE from the Sydney Opera House, featuring a stellar line-up of local and international music acts who will bring the New Year’s Eve spirit to audiences in Australia, and around the world. Our media partner, KIIS FM, will also broadcast the synchronised fireworks soundtracks LIVE.
Download images and video at city.sydney/nye2025
For media enquiries:
Andrew Booth: 0482 530 091 or email [email protected].
Roxanne Macara: 0438 554 640 or email [email protected]
For interviews with Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO:
Paul Mackay 0436 816 604 or email [email protected]
For more stories from your local area, visit news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
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